Click, Convert, Repeat: Lessons from the Funnel Frontier
From poop jokes to trillion-dollar trials—what marketers can learn from Dude Wipes, Meta, Apple, and a really good landing page.
📖 TODAY’S ISSUE:
🧵 Here’s your weekly dose of marketing trends, tools, and tactics to crush your goals:
🚀 Trending Now: Marketing News & Innovations
🛠️ Tool of the week
💡 AI Prompts & Productivity Hacks
🚀 Skill Boost: Marketing Mastery
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🚀 TRENDING NOW : MARKETING NEWS AND INNOVATIONSWhat marketers really want (and finally have)
Marketing teams are being asked to do more with less, and the answer isn’t just working harder—it’s working smarter. A new survey by Marketing Brew and impact.com reveals what marketers are craving: better ROI tracking, powerful automation, and the magic touch of AI. 87% want to automate more, while 59% say managing partnerships is tougher than ever. With channels multiplying and data coming from every direction, a streamlined, AI-powered solution like impact.com is exactly what marketers are asking for. From contribution reports to automated outreach, it’s all in one place.
What we think:
ROI has long been the marketing world’s white whale, but with smarter tools like AI-powered automation and consolidated analytics, it’s finally within reach.
Dude Wipes goes viral—again
Toilet humor isn’t just a punchline for Dude Wipes—it’s a business strategy that’s flush with results. The CPG disruptor has built a $200 million brand by staying scrappy, cracking jokes, and jumping on every poop-related headline they can find. While major leagues are crowded with deep-pocketed brands, Dude Wipes is making its mark in overlooked spaces like pro bowling and even the NHL, using creative ad placements and punchy humor. With 50% of their customers being women, a shift toward streaming, podcast blitzes, and mass media means Dude Wipes is evolving—but staying unapologetically “dude.”
Meta’s breakup trial could shatter digital marketing norms
The FTC’s antitrust showdown with Meta has officially begun, and marketers are watching closely. At stake? The unified Meta ad machine—spanning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—that many rely on for streamlined targeting and analytics. If the FTC prevails, Meta may be forced to divest its star acquisitions, potentially upending campaign strategies and fragmenting ad data. The case hinges on whether Meta’s dominance constitutes a “killer acquisition” strategy. Meanwhile, political chess and internal emails like Zuckerberg’s “better to buy than compete” quote loom large. Marketers should stay agile—because the future of social media advertising might be split three ways.
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🧃 Case studyApple — Marketing Mastery Without the “Next Big Thing”
Background
Apple is synonymous with innovation. But in 2024, the tech giant did something counterintuitive: It won without dropping a new iPhone, MacBook, or jaw-dropping gadget. Instead of dazzling with product launches, Apple leaned into the fundamentals—brand trust, storytelling, and experience—and still delivered market dominance.
In a landscape obsessed with “what’s next,” Apple showed the power of doubling down on what’s now.
The Challenge: No New Toy to Unbox
For a brand that lives in the spotlight of product reveals, a quiet launch calendar can feel like a liability. In 2024, Apple didn’t unveil a blockbuster new device. No radical redesign. No mixed-reality headset rollout. Just iterations.
For most tech companies, this would be a problem. For Apple? It was a canvas for marketing brilliance.
The real challenge: How do you stay top-of-mind when there’s nothing new to scream about?
The Strategy: Emotional Branding Over Product Dazzle
Marketing as Storytelling, Not Specs
Apple didn’t focus on speeds, feeds, or processors. Instead, it leaned hard into emotional resonance: family, creativity, privacy, empowerment. The “Mother Nature” spot for its carbon-neutral Apple Watch was a masterclass in tone—funny, mission-driven, and distinctly Apple. The message? We’re not just shipping products; we’re changing the world.Lean Into the Ecosystem
No new product? No problem. Apple emphasized the experience of being in its ecosystem: Messages, iCloud, AirPods, Fitness+, and privacy protections that only Apple can deliver at scale. It reinforced the idea that owning Apple isn’t about a single product—it’s about a lifestyle.Retail as Brand Theater
While competitors slashed physical retail budgets, Apple leaned into its stores as immersive brand experiences. Upgrades to Apple Store layouts focused on showcasing use cases, offering classes, and enhancing the community vibe. The store wasn’t just a purchase point—it was a physical embodiment of brand trust.A Global Campaign Engine
Apple’s global marketing teams have the autonomy to localize while staying within a brand that’s obsessively consistent. Campaigns in Japan, Brazil, and Germany had distinct cultural flavors—but all looked and felt unmistakably Apple.
The Talent & Execution
Apple’s marketing org is elite—built like a Hollywood studio more than a traditional department. Top-tier creatives, copywriters, and producers operate with precision and brand discipline. Nothing leaks. Everything aligns. From out-of-home placements to a single Apple Card email, the brand’s DNA is consistent.
Even when product news is light, the creative output is heavy. Strategic partnerships with creatives and influencers, subtle product placement in major media, and high-budget spots all helped keep the brand vibrant in the cultural conversation.
The Results: Stability in Stillness
Even in a year without a hero product, Apple’s metrics remained impressive:
iPhone revenue was flat YoY—but services revenue (App Store, iCloud, etc.) jumped 12%.
Brand favorability remained the highest in tech, according to Morning Consult.
Apple's loyalty and retention numbers held strong across key markets.
Its market cap stayed above $3 trillion, largely driven by trust, stickiness, and long-term brand equity.
This isn’t growth fueled by hype. It’s sustained success built on ecosystem loyalty and strategic brand stewardship.
The Lesson: Great Marketing Isn’t Just for New Things
Apple reminded the world that exceptional marketing isn’t about shouting the loudest or launching the flashiest. It’s about building something people believe in—and then reinforcing that belief consistently and creatively.
In a hype-driven industry, Apple’s discipline, brand control, and emotional storytelling make it the rare company that can not launch something and still dominate the narrative.
💡AI Prompts & productivity hacks Ad Copy Generator
Objective: Craft compelling ad copy tailored to your target audience and product.
Prompt:
Act as an expert copywriter specializing in digital advertising. Based on the provided product details and target audience, generate three variations of ad copy suitable for social media platforms. Each variation should include:
A captivating headline.
A persuasive body text highlighting key benefits.
A clear call-to-action.
Suggestions for accompanying visuals or media.
Product Details:
Product/Service Name: [Insert Name]
Description: [Brief description of the product/service]
Unique Selling Points: [List of features or benefits that set it apart]
Target Audience:
Demographics: [Age, gender, location, etc.]
Interests: [Hobbies, preferences, etc.]
Pain Points: [Challenges or problems the audience faces that the product/service addresses]
Why it’s helpful: This prompt guides you to produce targeted and persuasive ad copy that resonates with your audience, effectively communicates your product's value, and encourages engagement or conversion.
🚀 Skill boost: marketing masteryThe Conversion Catalyst: How Regina Turned a Stale Trial Page into a Growth Engine
When Regina joined cybersecurity startup Huntress as a UX designer, she wasn’t handed a groundbreaking product launch or a rebrand to sink her teeth into. What she got was something far more unsexy: a landing page. Specifically, the company’s underperforming free trial page.
On paper, it was doing “fine.” A 16% conversion rate. No glaring bugs. Clean, logical structure. But to Regina, it looked like a missed opportunity. And she didn’t join to coast.
The Gut Check Moment
In her first week, Regina ran a Hotjar session replay. The footage was telling. Users skimmed. They paused. They hesitated. Most didn’t scroll past the hero section. Others hovered on the “Start Free Trial” button… and bailed.
Then she clicked through the page herself and saw it: vague language, generic stock imagery, and a bland CTA. It didn’t feel like Huntress—fierce, scrappy, trustworthy. It felt like a placeholder.
“If I don’t know what I’m getting,” she asked, “why would I click?”
The sales team had the same complaint. Lots of free trial signups, few qualified leads.
Diagnosis: Pretty But Powerless
Regina outlined the problems:
🔹 No real value prop. The headline said “Start Your Free Trial,” but of what? Why should they care?
🔹 Visual mismatch. The design lacked brand personality. Huntress was bold and technical; the page looked like a sleepy SaaS template.
🔹 Overloaded form. Too many fields. Not enough context.
🔹 Buried trust cues. Customer logos and testimonials were jammed below the fold—if you scrolled, you might see them.
She wasn’t just redesigning a page. She was rebuilding trust at first click.
The Rebuild: Strategy Before Pixels
Rather than diving into mockups, Regina sat down with sales and marketing.
“What’s the biggest question new prospects ask?”
“What separates someone who signs up from someone who actually activates?”
Answers started pouring in:
“Is it hard to set up?”
“What’s the real cost after the trial?”
“Will it work with our current tech stack?”
“How secure is this, really?”
Those insights became the blueprint.
The New Blueprint
🔹 1. A Hero with Clarity and Teeth
Out went “Start Your Free Trial.” In came:
“Experience Huntress: Proactive Cybersecurity You Can Launch in Minutes”
Subhead: “No credit card. No installs. Real-time protection, right now.”
🔹 2. Visuals with Vibe
Out went generic tech background. In came dark-themed UI screenshots, tactical icons, and a video walkthrough. It now looked like a product you’d trust to fight ransomware.
🔹 3. Copy That Speaks Human
Bullets hit benefits, not features:
✔ Catch threats your antivirus misses
✔ Deploy in under 10 minutes
✔ No security team required
✔ Loved by 1,200+ IT pros
🔹 4. Form Meets Flow
The old 7-field form? Replaced with a 3-field wizard. First screen asked for just an email. Low commitment. High momentum. Hidden microcopy eased privacy concerns.
🔹 5. Proof Above the Fold
Client logos like “Datto” and “ConnectWise” moved up. Testimonials featured real IT managers. Trust wasn’t buried—it was front and center.
🔹 6. Smart Repeats of the CTA
Rather than one button, Regina scattered smart CTAs throughout the scroll path, each matched to the nearby content:
“See How It Works” → Demo section
“Try Free for 14 Days” → Features breakdown
“Protect Your Network Now” → Final CTA banner
The Results: Quietly Dramatic
The new landing page went live after two rounds of stakeholder feedback and A/B testing. And then the numbers started rolling in:
📈 Conversion rate jumped from 16% to 23.4%
📈 Leads with intent (measured by trial activation) increased by 35%
📈 Form abandonment dropped by 28%
📈 Trial-to-paid conversion improved by 19%
And most surprisingly?
📈 Average time on page went down.
Because people knew what to do—and did it.
The Takeaway: Not Just Prettier—Smarter
This wasn’t just a glow-up. It was a rethinking of how Huntress greeted its potential customers. It was about alignment—between the brand voice, the product promise, and the user’s needs.
Regina didn’t just make the landing page look better. She made it work better. And in doing so, she gave the sales team more qualified leads and the brand a better first impression.